From classroom to stage, 5000 students rock on

The crowd screamed, the parents beamed and the thud of bassline beats marked the opening of the Melbourne heats for the 24th Rock Eisteddfod.

More than 5000 students from 52 Victorian secondary schools from Timboon to Oakleigh are participating in this year's youth music competition - Know the Score Rock Eisteddfod Challenge - at the Vodafone Arena.

For students from Sacred Heart Girls College, Oakleigh, almost six months of rehearsing for their eight-minute spot has the bands Daft Punk and Jamiroquai etched in their minds.

The cheeky theme for their performance, which involves 150 students including dancers and stage crew, is putting on a rock eisteddfod.

"It's a great experience and a great opportunity," said Sacred Heart year 11 student Theresa Daubeney.

"And it's a creative way to get the school involved and express our opinions," she said.

Amid the clamour of last-minute rehearsals yesterday, event manager Belinda Sparks explained that the event focused on student participation in a 100 per cent drug-free environment.

"The students do everything from choosing their theme to doing their costumes and sets themselves," Ms Sparks said.

"So it means they get a lot of skills; how to work as a team, time management, as well as interacting with students from other schools."

Ms Sparks said the eisteddfod, which involved 200 schools and 25,000 students nationally, benefited from the drug-free message it has promoted since its inception. "We reinforce the message with resources given to teachers to pass on to students and take on board. Students know this is a drug-free event from the moment they start," she said.

Heats for the competition will continue until Friday with the finals held on September 4 and 5 at the Rod Laver Arena.